Moong Dal Halwa

This rich and sweet Indian dessert, Moong Dal Halwa or Moong Dal Ka Halwa needs to be on your list of Diwali recipes to make. This classic and melt in your mouth mithai recipe is made with split green gram lentils (yellow moong dal), ghee, sugar, topped with nuts and is made and served especially for festivals and weddings.

Moong Dal ka Halwa

Homemade Halwa - is there anything more comforting than homemade halwa? The simple pleasure of combining flour, ghee and sugar or jaggery is pure magic, especially in the winter months.

Over the years, we have devoured so many different halwa whether homemade or prashad. We have plenty of various types of Halwa or halwa dessert recipes on our blog that I can vouch for and this Moong Dal Ka Halwa or Mag Ni Dal No Shiro/Sheero/sheera (in Gujarati) is a favourite amongst them.

This north Indian sweet is also very popular in Rajasthan too during winters and weddings and comes together from basic pantry ingredients - mung lentils, clarified butter or ghee and sugar.

In this recipe, soaked coarsely ground yellow moong lentils or moong dal paste is cooked in lots of ghee, aromatic sugar syrup and milk or khoya until achieving a melt in your mouth texture. It is then garnished with rich nuts such as almonds, pistachio and cashews.

Moong dal sheera is not only made for Indian festivals like Diwali, Holi, Rakshabandhan but served in weddings or special occasions such as birthdays or anniversaries. 

See more easy Indian desserts for dinner parties.

If you are hosting a dinner, any get-together or thanksgiving and want to impress your guest with a delicious gluten-free dessert, try making this rich Indian dessert.

We love making this recipe for the festive season along with some other desserts like Soft Ras Malai, Almond butter Barfi Bars and Sugar-free Boondi, and serve after enjoying a spicy Indian meal.

What is Moong Dal Halwa

Originally moong dal halwa is made of three simple and basic ingredients. Everyday lentils-yellow moong dal lentils or skinless green moong dal lentils, sugar and ghee.

However, these days  it is also made with whole green moong beans, ghee and sugar. You end up with a green colour halwa.

This easy and rich dessert features simple ingredients that can be found in most Indian kitchens. For a great flavour twist you can also add a pinch of saffron strands, nutmeg or cardamom powder.

Aromatic Moong dal halwa is exquisite, flaky and grainy yet has a melt in mouth texture and is truly unique.

There are a variety of ways that one can make this halwa, whether it is made with milk, condensed milk, milk powder or khoya.

We love to make it with the khoya or mawa for the most authentic and traditional finish.

Why you will love this recipe

Easy to make - although this recipe looks fancy it is surprisingly easy to make. There are not many complicated steps or procedure you need to follow for this recipe. It will only require patience, like all Indian sweets recipes do. This halwa recipe comes in the "easy yet continuously stirring dessert" category.

No fail recipe this is a fool proof moong dal halwa that comes out perfectly every single time. Just follow our recipe and you won't have any issues with the recipe.

Not your average halwa recipes! I love making this recipe when we crave for something sweet but don't want just classic halwa made with aata (flour), ghee and jaggery.

Gluten-free this halwa is naturally gluten-free as it is based on lentils and dairy products.

Royal treat rich, loaded with ghee and nuts and spices that is mouth watering and packed with flavours, thus perfect for weddings, parties and big festivals such as Diwali, Holi and Raksha bandhan.

Winter favourite - nutritious and warm dish to combat the cold

What is Halwa

Halwa is an umbrella term for many sweets and confectionaries. The word halwa comes from the Arabic word "hulv" which translates as sweet confection. Halwa is thought to have entered India through Persia.

Although many sweets can be called "halwa" and indeed sweet makers are often called "halwais", the classic halwa that most people know is Gajar ka Halwa (carrot halwa), and Sooji ka Halwa (sooji halwa, safed halwa)

Just to give you an idea of the different halwa you can have, here is a list:

Dudhi/Lauki HalwaMakhandi HalwaBadam/Almond Halwa (suitable for gluten-free diet)

Almond, Coconut and Pineapple Halwa (vegan)

Coconut Halwa

Masoor Dal Halwa

Dudhi Halwa - this delicious halwa is made using bottle gourd

Aate ka Halwa with Mawa - atta halwa is made using whole wheat flour

Badam Besan Halwa

If you are looking for farali halwa recipe try Rajgira Halwa/Siro or Rajgira Halwa without Milk

I use the Instant Pot to make halwa too! Have a look at my Instant Pot Dudhi Halwa

Moong Dal Halwa Ingredients

Moong dal - we will need yellow moong dal known as Dhuli Moong Ki Dal or husked yellow moong split lentils that is easily available from Indian green grocers or any other super market.

Gram flour - also known as besan. Only a small amount is required for the recipe. However it is optional. Gram flour helps bring out the texture.

Semolina - called sooji as well. You can use coarse or fine variety. Adding sooji and gram flour prevents the moong dal paste from sticking to the pan once it is added

Ghee - we will need dairy ghee or desi ghee for this recipe. We have used homemade ghee, but store bought works fine too. If making for vegans skip ghee and use vegan butter or vegetable ghee which is vegan.

Milk or cream - for rich and creamy texture and flavours use whole milk or combine milk and cream for even richer taste.

Sugar - we will be needing regular granulated sugar for this recipe. You also can add Jaggery instead of sugar and make moong dal halwa with Jaggery.

Khoya - not only does khoya add beautiful texture to this dish but also lends lots of richness and enhances the taste. You can make instant mawa at home using ricotta cheese or Milk Powder. If khoya is not available, use dry milk powder.

Saffron - to make moong dal halwa rich, aromatic and delectable, good quality saffron is must. It also gives beautiful colour to the halwa too.

Cardamom powder - not only does cardamom add warm and delicious flavours but it helps to digest this rich halwa.

Nuts - Indian sweets/mithais are incomplete without rich and nutty nuts. They make sweets more attractive, gives royal touch and adds extra texture to the dish.

Pro Tips

Clean and remove any debris such as stones or small stones from the dal before soaking in the water.

Always bring mawa and milk to room temperature before adding them to moong dal mixture.

Keep lentils paste as dry and thick as possible. The more water content in there, the longer time it will take to cook/roast.

Do not try to adjust the quantity of ghee - you a lot of ghee to enjoy rajasthani moong dal halwa the traditional way.

Also remember to use heavy bottom wide pan/kadai or non-stick kadai to make moong dal halwa with khoya recipe. Keep stirring continuously to prevent burning or sticking.

This recipe is a labor of love, there are no shortcut if you want authentic Moong dal halwa that is rich and delicious. So, give yourself enough time.

Unless, you have an Instant pot, then let Instant pot do the hard work for you.

Roast dal paste in ghee on low-medium heat for at least 15-20 minutes to achieve perfect texture and taste.

You may add nuts (dry fruits) when you add khoya or mawa.

You can adjust sugar in this recipe according to your preference. Also, add the sugar once lentils cooked properly or nicely softened.

If you'll add sugar early, the lentils won't cook.

How to make Instant Pot Moong Dal Halwa

How to make Moong Dal Halwa

FAQs

Storage

Fridge - store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Warm slightly in the microwave before serving as it will have hardened in the fridge due to the ghee. If it has dried after warming, add a spoon of milk to loosen it.

Freezer - you can easily freeze moong dal halwa. Once it has cooled to room temperature, transfer into a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 1 month. Allow to thaw naturally at room temperature or in the fridge overnight

Serving Suggestion

Moong Dal Halwa is typically made for dinner parties and Indian festivals such as Diwali.

Browse through this Diwali Dinner Party Menu to curate your own.

Go through this full list of over 150+ Diwali Sweets and Snacks (Savouries)

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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Note - This Moong Dal Halwa recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content. First time published on 21st of August 2013.